Why Was Bach Such a Great Composer?

Johann Sebastian Bach​[a]​ (31 March [​O.S.​ 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and
musician of the ​Baroque period​. He is known for instrumental compositions such as the ​Art of Fugue​, the
Brandenburg Concertos​, and the ​Goldberg Variations​ as well as for vocal music such as the ​St Matthew
Passion​ and the ​Mass in B minor​. Since the 19th-century ​Bach Revival​ he has been generally regarded as
one of the greatest composers of all time.​[3]
The ​Bach family​ already counted several composers when Johann Sebastian was born as the last child of
a city musician in ​Eisenach​. After becoming an orphan at age 10, he lived for five years with his eldest
brother ​Johann Christoph Bach​, after which he continued his musical development in ​Lüneburg​. From
1703 he was back in ​Thuringia​, working as a musician for ​Protestant​ churches in ​Arnstadt​ and
Mühlhausen​and, for longer stretches of time, at courts in ​Weimar​—where he expanded his repertoire for
the ​organ​—and ​Köthen​—where he was mostly engaged with ​chamber music​. From 1723 he was
employed as ​Thomaskantor​ (​cantor​ at S​ t. Thomas​) in ​Leipzig​. He composed music for the principal
Lutheran​ churches of the city, and for its university's student ensemble ​Collegium Musicum​. From 1726
he published​ some of his ​keyboard​ and organ music. In Leipzig, as had happened in some of his earlier
positions, he had a difficult relation with his employer, a situation that was little remedied when he was
granted the title of court composer by King ​Augustus III of Poland​ in 1736. In the last decades of his life
he reworked and extended many of his earlier compositions. He died of complications after eye surgery in
1750.
Bach enriched established German styles through his mastery of ​counterpoint​, ​harmonic​ and ​motivic
organisation, and his adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and
France. ​Bach's compositions​ include ​hundreds of cantatas​, both ​sacred​and ​secular​.[4]​
​ He ​composed Latin
church music​, ​Passions​, ​oratorios​, and ​motets​. He often adopted ​Lutheran hymns​, not only in his larger
vocal works, but for instance also in ​his four-part chorales​ and ​his sacred songs​. He wrote extensively ​for
organ​ and ​for other keyboard instruments​. He ​composed concertos​, for instance ​for violin​ and ​for
harpsichord​, and ​suites​, ​as chamber music​ as well as ​for orchestra​. ​Many of his works employ​ the genres
of ​canon​ and ​fugue​.
Throughout the 18th century Bach was mostly renowned as an ​organist​, while his keyboard music, such
as ​The Well-Tempered Clavier​, was appreciated for its didactic qualities. The 19th century saw the
publication of some major ​Bach biographies​, and by the end of that century all of his known music had
been printed. Dissemination of scholarship on the composer continued through periodicals and websites
exclusively devoted to him, and other publications such as the ​Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis​ (BWV, a
numbered catalogue of his works) and new critical editions of his compositions. His music was further
popularised through a multitude ​of arrangements​, including for instance the ​Air on the G String​, and of
recordings, for instance three different box sets with complete performances of the composer's works
marking the 250th anniversary of his death.
Bach was born in 1685 in ​Eisenach​, in the ​duchy of Saxe-Eisenach​, into a great musical family. His
father, ​Johann Ambrosius Bach​, was the director of the town musicians, and all of his uncles were
professional musicians. His father probably taught him to play the ​violin​ and ​harpsichord​, and his brother
Johann Christoph Bach​ taught him the ​clavichord​ and exposed him to much contemporary music.​[5]
Apparently at his own initiative, Bach attended ​St. Michael's School​ in ​Lüneburg​ for two years. After
graduating he held several musical posts across Germany: he served as ​Kapellmeister​ (director of music)
to ​Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen​, and as ​Thomaskantor​ in Leipzig, a position of music director at the
main Lutheran churches and educator at the ​Thomasschule​. He received the title of "Royal Court
Composer" from ​Augustus III​ in 1736.​[6]​[7]​ Bach's health and vision declined in 1749, and he died on 28
July 1750.

Johann Ambrosius Bach, Bach's father

Page from the ​Neues vollständiges Eisenachisches Gesangbuch​, the Lutheran hymnal that was in use
in the Eisenach of Bach's youth.​[8]​[9]
 Lüneburg, some two decades before Bach's stay in that town: St Michael's pictured in lower right

See also: ​Bach family

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in ​Eisenach​, the capital of the ​duchy of Saxe-Eisenach​, in present-day
Germany, on 21 March 1685 ​O.S.​ (31 March 1685 N ​ .S.​). He was the son of ​Johann Ambrosius Bach​, the
director of the town musicians, and ​Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt​.[10]​
​ He was the eighth and youngest child
of Johann Ambrosius,​ who likely taught him violin and basic music theory.​[12]​ His uncles were all
[11]​

professional musicians, whose posts included church organists, court chamber musicians, and composers.
One uncle, ​Johann Christoph Bach​ (1645–1693), introduced him to the organ, and an older second cousin,
Johann Ludwig Bach​ (1677–1731), was a well-known composer and violinist.​[13]
Bach's mother died in 1694, and his father died eight months later.​[7]​ The 10-year-old Bach moved in with
his eldest brother, ​Johann Christoph Bach​(1671–1721), the organist at ​St. Michael's Church​ in ​Ohrdruf​,
Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg​.[14]​ ​ There he studied, performed, and copied music, including his own brother's,
despite being forbidden to do so because scores were so valuable and private, and blank ledger paper of
that type was costly.​[15]​[16]​ He received valuable teaching from his brother, who instructed him on the
clavichord​. J.C. Bach exposed him to the works of great composers of the day, including South German
composers such as ​Johann Pachelbel​ (under whom Johann Christoph had studied) and ​Johann Jakob
Froberger​; North German composers;​[5]​ Frenchmen, such as ​Jean-Baptiste Lully​, ​Louis Marchand​, and
Marin Marais​; and the Italian clavierist ​Girolamo Frescobaldi​. Also during this time, he was taught
theology, Latin, Greek, French, and Italian at the local ​gymnasium​.[17]​
By 3 April 1700, Bach and his schoolfriend Georg Erdmann—who was two years Bach's elder—were
enrolled in the prestigious St. Michael's School in ​Lüneburg​, some two weeks' travel north of
Ohrdruf.​[18]​[19]​ Their journey was probably undertaken mostly on foot.​[17]​[19]​ His two years there were
critical in exposing Bach to a wider range of European culture. In addition to singing in the choir, he
played the School's three-manual organ and harpsichords.​[17]​ He came into contact with sons of aristocrats
from northern Germany, sent to the highly selective school to prepare for careers in other disciplines.
While in Lüneburg, Bach had access to ​St. John's Church​ and possibly used the church's famous organ
from 1553, since it was played by his organ teacher ​Georg Böhm​.[20]​
​ Because of his musical talent, Bach
had significant contact with Böhm while a student in Lüneburg, and also took trips to nearby ​Hamburg
where he observed "the great North German organist ​Johann Adam Reincken​".​[20]​[21]​ Stauffer reports the
discovery in 2005 of the ​organ tablatures​ that Bach wrote out when still in his teens of works by Reincken
and ​Dieterich Buxtehude​, showing "a disciplined, methodical, well-trained teenager deeply committed to
learning his craft".​[20]

The ​Wender​ organ Bach played in Arnstadt

 Portrait of the young Bach (disputed)​[22]

In January 1703, shortly after graduating from St. Michael's and being turned down for the post of
organist at ​Sangerhausen​,[23]​
​ Bach was appointed court musician in the chapel of Duke ​Johann Ernst III​ in
[24]​
Weimar​.​ His role there is unclear, but it probably included menial, non-musical duties. During his
seven-month tenure at Weimar, his reputation as a keyboardist spread so much that he was invited to
inspect the new organ and give the inaugural recital, at the New Church (now ​Bach Church​) in ​Arnstadt​,
located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) southwest of Weimar.​[25]​ In August 1703, he became the organist at
the New Church, with light duties, a relatively generous salary, and a fine new organ tuned in a
temperament that allowed music written in a wider range of keys to be played.​[​citation needed​]
Despite strong family connections and a musically enthusiastic employer, tension built up between Bach
and the authorities after several years in the post. Bach was dissatisfied with the standard of singers in the
choir. He called one of them a "Zippel Fagottist" (​weenie​ bassoon player). Late one evening this student,
named Geyersbach, went after Bach with a stick. Bach filed a complaint against Geyersbach with the
authorities. These acquitted Geyersbach with a minor reprimand and ordered Bach to be more moderate
regarding the musical qualities he expected from his students. Some months later Bach upset his employer
by a prolonged absence from Arnstadt: having obtained a leave permission for four weeks he had been
absent for around four months in 1705–1706 to visit the organist and composer ​Dieterich Buxtehude​ in
the northern city of ​Lübeck​. The visit to Buxtehude involved a 450-kilometre (280 mi) journey each way,
reportedly on foot.​[26]​[27]
In 1706, Bach applied for a post as organist at the ​Blasius Church​ in ​Mühlhausen​.[28]​
​ [29]​ As part of his
application, he had a ​cantata​ performed on Easter, 24 April 1707, likely an early version of his ​Christ lag
in Todes Banden​.[30]​
​ A month later Bach's application was accepted and he took up the post in July.​[28]​ The
position included a significantly higher remuneration, improved conditions, and a better choir. Four
months after arriving at Mühlhausen, Bach married ​Maria Barbara Bach​, his second cousin. Bach was
able to convince the church and town government at Mühlhausen to fund an expensive renovation of the
organ at the Blasius Church. In 1708 Bach wrote ​Gott ist mein König​, a festive ​cantata for the
inauguration of the new Council​, which was published at the Council's expense.​[17]

Bach's autograph of the first movement of the ​Sonata No. 1 in G minor for solo violin (BWV 1001)​ –
Audio

Further information: ​Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten! BWV 172 § Background
Bach left Mühlhausen in 1708, returning to Weimar this time as organist and from 1714 ​Konzertmeister
(director of music) at the ducal court, where he had an opportunity to work with a large, well-funded
contingent of professional musicians.​[17]​ Bach and his wife moved into a house close to the ducal
palace.​[31]​ Later the same year, their first child, Catharina Dorothea, was born, and Maria Barbara's elder,
unmarried sister joined them. She remained to help run the household until her death in 1729. Three sons
were also born in Weimar: ​Wilhelm Friedemann​, ​Carl Philipp Emanuel​, and ​Johann Gottfried Bernhard​.
Johann Sebastian and Maria Barbara had three more children who however did not live to their first
birthday, including twins born in 1713.​[32]
Bach's time in Weimar was the start of a sustained period of composing keyboard and orchestral works.
He attained the proficiency and confidence to extend the prevailing structures and to include influences
from abroad. He learned to write dramatic openings and employ the dynamic motor rhythms and
harmonic schemes found in the music of Italians such as ​Vivaldi​, ​Corelli​, and ​Torelli​. Bach absorbed
these stylistic aspects in part by transcribing Vivaldi's string and wind ​concertos​ for harpsichord and
organ; many of these transcribed works are still regularly performed. Bach was particularly attracted to
the Italian style in which one or more solo instruments alternate section-by-section with the full orchestra
throughout a ​movement​.[33]
​
In Weimar, Bach continued to play and compose for the organ, and to perform concert music with the
duke's ensemble.​[17]​ He also began to write the ​preludes​ and ​fugues​ which were later assembled into his
monumental work ​The Well-Tempered Clavier​ ("Clavier" meaning clavichord or harpsichord),​[34]
consisting of two books,​[35]​ each containing 24 preludes and fugues in every ​major​ and ​minor​ key. Bach
also started work on the ​Little Organ Book​ in Weimar, containing traditional ​Lutheran chorale​ tunes set in
complex textures. In 1713, Bach was offered a post in ​Halle​ when he advised the authorities during a
renovation by Christoph Cuntzius of the main organ in the west gallery of the ​Market Church of Our Dear
Lady​.[36]​
​ [37]
In the spring of 1714, Bach was promoted to ​Konzertmeister,​ an honour that entailed performing a church
cantata monthly in the castle church.​[38]​ The first three cantatas in the new series Bach composed in
Weimar were ​Himmelskönig, sei willkommen​, BWV 182​, for ​Palm Sunday​, which coincided with the
Annunciation​ that year, ​Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen,​ BWV 12​, for ​Jubilate Sunday​, and ​Erschallet,
ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten!​ BWV 172​ for ​Pentecost​.[39]​
​ Bach's first Christmas cantata ​Christen, ätzet
diesen Tag,​ BWV 63​ was premiered in 1714 or 1715.​[40]​[41]
 The ​Paulinerkirche​ in Leipzig: in 1717 Bach had tested the new organ in this church.

In 1717, Bach eventually fell out of favour in Weimar and was, according to a translation of the court
secretary's report, jailed for almost a month before being unfavourably dismissed: "On November 6,
[1717], the quondam concertmaster and organist Bach was confined to the County Judge's place of
detention for too stubbornly forcing the issue of his dismissal and finally on December 2 was freed from
arrest with notice of his unfavourable discharge."​[42]

Bach's seal, used throughout his Leipzig years. It contains the letters ​J S B​superimposed over their
mirror image topped with a crown.
 St. Thomas Church, Leipzig

Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen​, hired Bach to serve as his ​Kapellmeister​ (director of music) in 1717.
Prince Leopold, himself a musician, appreciated Bach's talents, paid him well and gave him considerable
latitude in composing and performing. The prince was ​Calvinist​ and did not use elaborate music in his
worship; accordingly, most of Bach's work from this period was secular,​[43]​ including the ​orchestral suites​,
the ​cello suites​, the ​sonatas and partitas for solo violin​, and the ​Brandenburg Concertos.​ [44]​
​ Bach also
composed secular cantatas for the court such as ​Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht​, BWV 134a​. A
significant influence upon Bach's musical development during his years with the Prince is recorded by
Stauffer as Bach's "complete embrace of dance music, perhaps the most important influence on his mature
style other than his adoption of Vivaldi's music in Weimar."​[20]
Despite being born in the same year and only about 130 kilometres (81 mi) apart, Bach and ​Handel​ never
met. In 1719, Bach made the 35-kilometre (22 mi) journey from ​Köthen​ to Halle with the intention of
meeting Handel; however, Handel had left the town.​[45]​ In 1730, Bach's oldest son Wilhelm Friedemann
travelled to Halle to invite Handel to visit the Bach family in Leipzig, but the visit did not come to pass.​[46]
On 7 July 1720, while Bach was away in ​Carlsbad​ with Prince Leopold, Bach's wife suddenly died.​[47]
The following year, he met ​Anna Magdalena Wilcke​, a young, highly gifted soprano sixteen years his
junior, who performed at the court in Köthen; they married on 3 December 1721.​[48]​ Together they had
thirteen more children, six of whom survived into adulthood: ​Gottfried Heinrich​; Elisabeth Juliane
Friederica (1726–1781); ​Johann Christoph Friedrich​ and ​Johann Christian​, who both, especially Johann
Christian, became significant musicians; Johanna Carolina (1737–1781); and Regina Susanna
(1742–1809).​[49]

St. Nicholas Church, Leipzig​, c. 1850

 Café Zimmermann​, Leipzig, where the Collegium Musicum performed

In 1723, Bach was appointed ​Thomaskantor​, ​Cantor​ of the ​Thomasschule​ at the ​Thomaskirche​ (St.
Thomas Church) in Leipzig, which provided music for four churches in the city, the ​Thomaskirche,​ the
Nikolaikirche​ (St. Nicholas Church), and to a lesser extent the ​Neue Kirche​ (New Church) and the
Peterskirche​ (St. Peter's Church).​[50]​ This was "the leading cantorate in Protestant Germany",​[51]​ located in
the mercantile city in the ​Electorate of Saxony​, which he held for twenty-seven years until his death.
During that time he gained further prestige through honorary appointments at the courts of Köthen and
Weissenfels, as well as that of the Elector ​Frederick Augustus​ (who was also ​King of Poland​) in
Dresden​.[51]​
​ Bach frequently disagreed with his employer, Leipzig's city council, who he thought were
"penny-pinching".​[52]
Johann Kuhnau​ had been Thomaskantor in Leipzig from 1701 until his death on 5 June 1722. Bach had
visited Leipzig during Kuhnau's tenure: in 1714 he attended the service at the St. Thomas church on the
first Sunday of Advent,​[53]​ and in 1717 he had tested the organ of the ​Paulinerkirche.​ [54]​
​ In 1716 Bach and
Kuhnau had met on the occasion of the testing and inauguration of an organ in Halle.​[37]
After having been offered the position, Bach was invited to Leipzig only after ​Georg Philipp Telemann
indicated that he would not be interested in relocating to Leipzig.​[55]​ Telemann went to Hamburg where he
"had his own struggles with the city's senate".​[56]
Bach was required to instruct the students of the ​Thomasschule​ in singing and to provide church music for
the main churches in Leipzig. Bach was required to teach Latin, but he was allowed to employ four
"prefects" (deputies) to do this instead. The prefects also aided with musical instruction.​[57]​ A cantata was
required for the church services on Sundays and additional church holidays during the ​liturgical year​.
Bach usually led performances of his ​cantatas​, most of which were composed within three years of his
relocation to Leipzig. The first was ​Die Elenden sollen essen,​ BWV 75​, performed in the ​Nikolaikirche​ on
30 May 1723, the first Sunday after ​Trinity​. Bach collected his cantatas in annual cycles. Five are
mentioned in obituaries, three are extant.​[39]​ Of the more than three hundred cantatas which Bach
composed in Leipzig, over one hundred have been lost to posterity.​[4]​ Most of these concerted works
expound on the Gospel readings prescribed for every Sunday and feast day in the Lutheran year. Bach
started a second annual cycle the first Sunday after Trinity of 1724 and composed only ​chorale cantatas​,
each based on a single church hymn. These include ​O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort,​ BWV 20​, ​Wachet auf,
ruft uns die Stimme,​ BWV 140​, ​Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland​, BWV 62​, and ​Wie schön leuchtet der
Morgenstern​, BWV 1​.
Bach drew the soprano and alto choristers from the School, and the tenors and basses from the School and
elsewhere in Leipzig. Performing at weddings and funerals provided extra income for these groups; it was
probably for this purpose, and for in-school training, that he wrote at least six ​motets​.[58]​
​ As part of his
regular church work, he performed other composers' motets, which served as formal models for his
own.​[59]
Bach's predecessor as Cantor, ​Johann Kuhnau​, had also been music director for the ​Paulinerkirche,​ the
church of ​Leipzig University​. But when Bach was installed as Cantor in 1723, he was put in charge only
of music for "festal" (church holiday) services at the ​Paulinerkirche​; his petition to provide music also for
regular Sunday services there (for a corresponding salary increase) went all the way up to the Elector but
was denied. After this, in 1725, Bach "lost interest" in working even for festal services at the
Paulinerkirche​ and appeared there only on "special occasions".​[60]​ The ​Paulinerkirche​ had a much better
and newer (1716) organ than did the ​Thomaskirche​ or the ​Nikolaikirche​.[61]​
​ Bach was not required to play
any organ in his official duties, but it is believed he liked to play on the ​Paulinerkirche​ organ "for his own
pleasure".​[62]
Bach broadened his composing and performing beyond the liturgy by taking over, in March 1729, the
directorship of the ​Collegium Musicum​, a secular performance ensemble started by Telemann. This was
one of the dozens of private societies in the major German-speaking cities that was established by
musically active university students; these societies had become increasingly important in public musical
life and were typically led by the most prominent professionals in a city. In the words of ​Christoph Wolff​,
assuming the directorship was a shrewd move that "consolidated Bach's firm grip on Leipzig's principal
musical institutions".​[63]​ Year round, Leipzig's ​Collegium Musicum​ performed regularly in venues such as
the ​Café Zimmermann​, a ​coffeehouse​ on Catherine Street off the main market square. Many of Bach's
works during the 1730s and 1740s were written for and performed by the ​Collegium Musicum​; among
these were parts of his ​Clavier-Übung​ (​Keyboard Practice​) and many of his violin and ​keyboard
concertos​.[17]
​
In 1733, Bach composed a ​mass for the Dresden court​ (​Kyrie​ and ​Gloria​) which he later incorporated in
his ​Mass in B Minor.​ He presented the manuscript to the Elector in an eventually successful bid to
persuade the prince to give him the title of Court Composer.​[6]​ He later extended this work into a full
mass, by adding a Credo, Sanctus', and Agnus Dei, the music for which was partly based on his own
cantatas, partly newly composed. Bach's appointment as Court Composer was part of his long-term
struggle to achieve greater bargaining power with the Leipzig council. Between 1737 and 1739, Bach's
former pupil ​Carl Gotthelf Gerlach​ held the directorship of the ​Collegium Musicum​.
In 1735 Bach started to prepare his first publication of organ music, which was printed as the ​third
Clavier-Übung​ in 1739.​[64]​ From around that year he started to compile and compose the set of preludes
and fugues for harpsichord that would become his second book of ​The Well-Tempered Clavier​.[65] ​
From 1740 to 1748 Bach copied, transcribed, expanded and/or programmed music in an older ​polyphonic
style (​stile antico)​ , by, among others, ​Palestrina​ (​BNB I/P/2​),​[66]​ ​Kerll​ (​BWV 241​),​[67]​ ​Torri​ (​BWV Anh.
30​),​[68]​ ​Bassani​ (​BWV 1081​),​[69]​ ​Gasparini​ (​Missa Canonica​)[70]​
​ and ​Caldara​(​BWV 1082​).​[71]​ Bach's own
style shifted in the last decade of his life, showing an increased integration of polyphonic structures and
canons, and other elements of the ​stile antico​.[72]​ ​ His fourth and last ​Clavier-Übung​ volume, the ​Goldberg
Variations​, for two-manual harpsichord, contained nine canons and was published in 1741.​[73]​ Throughout
this period, Bach also continued to adopt music of contemporaries such as ​Handel​ (​BNB I/K/2​)[74]​ ​ and
Stölzel​(​BWV 200​),​[75]​ and gave many of his own earlier compositions, such as the ​St Matthew​ and ​St John
Passions and the ​Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes​,[76]​ ​ their final revisions. He also programmed and
adapted music by composers of a younger generation, including ​Pergolesi​ (​BWV 1083​)[77]​ ​ and his own
[78]
students such as ​Goldberg​ (​BNB I/G/2​).​
In 1746 Bach was preparing to enter ​Lorenz Christoph Mizler​'s ​Society of Musical Sciences​ [​de​].​[79]​ In
order to be admitted Bach had to submit a composition, for which he chose his ​Canonic Variations on
"Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her"​, and a portrait, which was painted by ​Elias Gottlob Haussmann
and featured Bach's ​Canon triplex á 6 Voc​.[80]​ ​ In May 1747, Bach visited the court of King ​Frederick II of
Prussia​ at ​Potsdam​. The king played a theme for Bach and challenged him to improvise a fugue based on
his theme. Bach obliged, playing a three-part fugue on one of Frederick's ​fortepianos​, which was a new
type of instrument at the time. Upon his return to Leipzig he composed a set of fugues and canons, and a
trio sonata, based on the ​Thema Regium​ (theme of the king). Within a few weeks this music was
published as ​The Musical Offering​, dedicated to Frederick. The ​Schübler Chorales,​ a set of six chorale
preludes transcribed from cantata movements Bach had composed some two decades earlier, was
published within a year after that.​[81]​[82]​ Around the same time, the set of five Canonic Variations which
Bach had submitted when entering Mizler's Society in 1747, was also printed.​[83]
Two large-scale compositions occupied a central place in Bach's last years. From around 1742 he wrote
and reworked the various canons and fugues of ​The Art of Fugue​, which he continued to prepare for
publication until shortly before his death.​[84]​[85]​ After having extracted a cantata, ​BWV 191​, from his ​1733
Kyrie-Gloria Mass for the Dresden court​ in the mid 1740s, Bach expanded that ​Mass setting​ into his ​Mass
in B minor​ in the last years of his life. Stauffer describes it as "Bach's most universal church work.
Consisting mainly of recycled movements from cantatas written over a thirty-five-year period, it allowed
Bach to survey his vocal pieces one last time and pick select movements for further revision and
refinement."​[20]​ Although the complete mass was never performed during the composer's lifetime, it is
considered to be among the greatest choral works of all time.​[86]
In January 1749 Bach's daughter Elisabeth Juliane Friederica married his pupil ​Johann Christoph
Altnickol​. Bach's health was however declining. On 2 June, ​Heinrich von Brühl​ wrote to one of the
Leipzig ​burgomasters​ to request that his music director, ​Johann Gottlob Harrer​, fill the ​Thomaskantor​ and
Director musices​ posts "upon the eventual ... decease of Mr. Bach".​[87]​ Becoming blind, Bach underwent
eye surgery, in March 1750, and again in April, from the British eye surgeon ​John Taylor​.[88]​ ​ Bach died on
[89]​[90]​[91]​
28 July 1750, from complications connected to the unsuccessful treatment.​ An inventory drawn up
a few months after Bach's death, shows that his estate included five ​harpsichords​, two ​lute-harpsichords​,
three ​violins​, three ​violas​, two ​cellos​, a ​viola da gamba​, a ​lute​ and a ​spinet​, along with 52 "sacred books",
including works by ​Martin Luther​ and ​Josephus​.[92]​ ​ The composer's son Carl Philipp Emanuel saw to it
that ​The Art of Fugue​, although still unfinished, was published in 1751.​[93]​ Together with one of the
composer's former students, ​Johann Friedrich Agricola​, this son of Bach also wrote the obituary
("​Nekrolog​") which was published in Mizler's ​Musikalische Bibliothek​ [​de​], the organ of the Society of
Musical Sciences, in 1754.​[94]
A handwritten note by Bach in his copy of the ​Calov Bible​. The note next to ​2 Chronicles 5:13​ reads:
"NB Bey einer andächtigen Musiq ist allezeit Gott mit seiner Gnaden Gegenwart" (​N(ota) B(ene)​ In a
music of worship God is always present with his grace)
"​O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden​": the four-part chorale setting as included in the ​St. Matthew Passion

Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue

BWV 903 performed by ​Kevin
MacLeod
1. Fantasia

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2. Fugue

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Bach re-interpreting older genres

tied to the modal system
Bach's guide on ​ornaments​ as contained in the K
​ lavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
"Aria" of the ​Goldberg Variations,​ showing Bach's use of ornaments – Audio

Sonata No. 3 in G minor for viola

da gamba and harpsichord BWV
1029 performed by John Michel
1st movement

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2nd movement

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3rd movement

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Continuo instruments moving to

the front (here performed on cello
and piano)

Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D

minor, BWV 1052​ performed by
the Fulda Symphonic Orchestra
conducted by Simon Schindler
with Johannes Volker Schmidt
(piano)
1. Allegro

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2. Adagio

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3. Allegro

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 Keyboard concerto

Chaconne, 5th movement of ​Partita

for Violin No. 2, BWV 1004
performed by Ben Goldstein as
written down by Bach

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written for violin like no other...

Brahms' piano version performed

by Martha Goldstein

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...not less impressive as a piano

piece

The Art of Fugue​ (title page) – Performed by Mehmet Okonsar on organ and harpsichord: Nos.
1–12​ • Nos. 13–20
Double Violin Concerto in D
minor BWV 1043​ performed by
the Advent Chamber Orchestra
with David Perry and Roxana
Pavel Goldstein (violins)
1. Vivace

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2. Largo ma non tanto

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3. Allegro

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A strictly contrapuntal composition

(the two violins playing in canon
throughout) in the guise of an
Italian type of concerto

Analysis of the counterpoint of the

chorale prelude ​Herr Jesu Christ,
dich zu uns wend', ​BWV 632
(​Orgelbüchlein​)
BWV 632 (extract)
 the images of this video show the
intertwining of melodies and
motives, including the melody of
the chorale "​Herr Jesu Christ, dich
zu uns wend'​ [​de​]" ( Audio​)
See also: ​List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach
To a large extent, Bach's musical style fits in the conventions of his day, which is the final stage of the
baroque style​. When his contemporaries such as Handel, Telemann and Vivaldi wrote concertos he did so
too. When they wrote suites, he did so too. Similar with ​recitatives​ followed by ​da capo arias​, four-part
choral music, use of ​basso continuo​ etc. The specifics of his style lie with characteristics such as his skill
in contrapuntal invention and motivic control and his talent for writing tightly woven music of powerful
sonority. From an early age, he imbued himself with the compositions of his contemporaries and of prior
generations, all of what was available from European composers, such as the French, the Italian, and
those from all parts of Germany, and there is little of it that didn't appear in his own music.​[95]
Religious music was at the centre of Bach's output for much of his life. The hundreds of sacred works he
created are usually seen as manifesting not just his craft but a truly devout relationship with God.​[96]​[97]​ He
had taught ​Luther's Small Catechism​ as the ​Thomaskantor​ in Leipzig, and some of his pieces represent
it.​[98]​ The ​Lutheran chorale​ was the basis of much of his work. In elaborating these hymns into his chorale
preludes, he wrote more cogent and tightly integrated works than most, even when they were massive and
lengthy.​[​citation needed]​ ​ The large-scale structure of every major Bach sacred vocal work is evidence of subtle,
elaborate planning to create a religiously and musically powerful expression. For example, the ​St Matthew
Passion​, like other works of its kind, illustrated the ​Passion​ with Bible text reflected in recitatives, arias,
choruses, and chorales, but in crafting this work, Bach created an overall experience that has been found
over the centuries since to be both musically thrilling and spiritually profound.​[99]
Bach published or carefully compiled in manuscript many collections of pieces that explored the range of
artistic and technical possibilities inherent in almost every genre of his time except opera. For example,
The Well-Tempered Clavier​ comprises two books, each of which presents a prelude and fugue in every
major and minor key, displaying a dizzying variety of structural, contrapuntal and fugal techniques.​[100]
Four-part harmonies​ predate Bach, but he lived during a time when ​modal music​ in Western tradition was
largely supplanted in favour of the ​tonal system​. In this system a piece of music progresses from one
chord​ to the next according to certain rules, each chord being characterised by four notes. The principles
of four-part harmony cannot only be found in Bach's four-part choral music, but he also prescribes it for
instance for the ​figured bass​ accompaniment.​[101]​ The new system was at the core of Bach's style, and his
compositions are to a large extent considered as laying down the rules for the evolving scheme that would
dominate musical expression in the next centuries. Some examples of this characteristic of Bach's style
and its influence:
● When in the 1740s Bach staged ​his arrangement​ of ​Pergolesi​'s S​ tabat Mater,​ he upgraded the
viola part (that in the original composition plays unisono with the bass part) to fill out the
harmony, thus conforming the composition to his four-part harmony style.​[102]
 ● When from the 19th century in Russia there was a discussion about the authenticity of
four-part ​Court chant​ settings, compared to earlier Russian traditions, ​Bach's four-part
Chorale settings​, such as those ending his ​Chorale cantatas​, were considered as
foreign-influenced models: such influence was, however, deemed unavoidable.​[103]
Bach putting his foot down on the tonal system, and contributing to its shaping, did not imply he was less
at ease with the older modal system, and the genres associated with it: more than his contemporaries (who
had "moved on" to the tonal system without much exception), Bach often returned to the then-antiquated
modi and genres. His ​Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue,​ re-emulating the ​chromatic fantasia​ genre, as used
by earlier composers such as ​Dowland​ and ​Sweelinck​, in D ​dorian mode​ (comparable to ​D minor​ in the
tonal system), is an example of this.
Modulations​, changing ​key​ in the course of a piece, is another style characteristic where Bach goes
beyond what was usual in his time. Baroque instruments vastly limited modulation possibilities: keyboard
instruments, prior to a workable system of ​temperament​, limited the keys that could be modulated to, and
wind instruments, especially brass instruments such as ​trumpets​ and ​horns​, about a century before they
were fitted with valves, were tied to the key of their tuning. Bach pushed the limits: he added "strange
tones" in his organ playing, confusing the singing, according to an indictment he had to face in
Arnstadt,​[104]​ and ​Louis Marchand​, another early experimenter with modulation, seems to have avoided
confrontation with Bach because the latter went further than anyone had done before.​[105]​ In the "Suscepit
Israel" of his 1723 Magnificat, he had the trumpets in E-flat play a melody in the ​enharmonic​ scale of C
minor.​[106]
The major development taking place in Bach's time, and to which he contributed in no small way, was the
development of a temperament for keyboard instruments that allowed to use these in all available keys
(12 major and 12 minor), and which allowed modulating without retuning. Already his ​Capriccio on the
departure of a beloved brother,​ a very early work, showed a gusto for modulation incomparable to any
contemporary work this composition has been compared to,​[107]​ but the full expansion came with the
Well-Tempered Clavier​, using all keys, which Bach seems to have been developing from around 1720,
with the ​Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach​ as one of its earliest witnesses.​[108]
The second page of the ​Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach​ is an ​ornament​ notation and
performance guide that Bach wrote for his eldest son, who was nine years old at the time. Bach was
generally quite specific on ornamentation in his compositions (where in his time much of the
ornamentation was not written out by composers, rather being considered a liberty of the performer),​[109]
and his ornamentation was often quite elaborate. For instance, the "Aria" of the ​Goldberg Variations​ has
rich ornamentation in nearly every measure. Bach's dealing with ornamentation can also be seen in a
keyboard arrangement he made of ​Marcello​'s ​Oboe Concerto​: he added written out ornamentation, which,
some centuries later, is played by oboists when performing the concerto.
Although Bach did not write any opera, he was not averse to the genre, nor to its ornamented vocal style.
In church music, Italian composers had imitated the operatic vocal style in genres such as the ​Neapolitan
mass​. In Protestant surroundings, there was more reticence to adopt such style for liturgical music. For
instance, Kuhnau, Bach's predecessor in Leipzig, had notoriously written against opera and Italianate
virtuoso vocal music.​[110]​ Bach was less imbued; one of the comments after a performance of his ​St
Matthew Passion​ was that it all sounded much like opera.​[111]
In concerted playing in Bach's time the basso continuo, consisting of instruments such as organ, and/or
viola da gamba​ and harpsichord, usually had the role of accompaniment: providing the harmonic and
rhythmic foundation of a piece. From the late 1720s, Bach had the organ play ​concertante​ (i.e. as soloist)
with the orchestra in instrumental cantata movements,​[112]​ a decade before Handel published his first organ
concertos.​[113]​ Apart from the ​5th ​Brandenburg Concerto​ and the ​Triple Concerto​, which already had
harpsichord soloists in the 1720s, Bach wrote and arranged his harpsichord concertos in the 1730s,​[114]​ and
in his sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord neither instrument plays a continuo part: they are
treated as equal soloists, way beyond the figured bass role. In this sense, Bach played a key role in the
development of genres such as the keyboard concerto.​[115]
Bach wrote virtuoso music for specific instruments, as well as music independent of instrumentation. For
instance, the ​sonatas and partitas for solo violin​ are considered the pinnacle of what has been written for
this instrument, only within reach of accomplished players: the music fits the instrument, pushing it to the
full scale of its possibilities, requiring virtuosity of the player, but without ​bravura​. Notwithstanding that
the music and the instrument seem inseparable, Bach made transcriptions for other instruments of some
pieces of this collection. Similarly, for the ​cello suites​, the virtuoso music seems tailored for the
instrument, the best of what is on offer for it, yet Bach made an arrangement for lute of one of these
suites. Likewise for much of his most virtuoso keyboard music. Bach exploited the capabilities of an
instrument to the fullest while keeping the core of such music independent of the instrument on which it is
performed.
In this sense, it is no surprise that Bach's music is easily and often performed on instruments it was not
necessarily written for, that it is ​transcribed​ so often, and that his melodies turn up in unexpected places
such as jazz music. Apart from that, Bach left a number of compositions without specified
instrumentation: the Canons ​BWV 1072–1078​ fall in that category, as well as the bulk of the ​Musical
Offering​ and the ​Art of Fugue​.[116]
​
See also: ​List of fugal works by Johann Sebastian Bach
Another characteristic of Bach's style is his extensive use of ​counterpoint​, as opposed to the ​homophony
used, for instance, in his four-part Chorale settings. Bach's Canons, and especially his Fugues, are most
characteristic of this style, which Bach did not invent, but his contribution to it was so fundamental that
he defined it to a large extent. Fugues are as characteristic to Bach's style, as, for instance, the ​Sonata
form​ is characteristic to the composers of the ​Classical period​.[117]
​
Not only these strictly contrapuntal compositions, but most of Bach's music is characterised by distinct
melodic lines for each of the voices, where the chords formed by the notes sounding at a given point
follow the rules of four-part harmony. ​Forkel​, Bach's first biographer, gives this description of this feature
of Bach's music, that sets it apart from most other music:​[118]
Bach devoted more attention than his contemporaries to the structure of compositions. This can be seen in
minor adjustments he made when adopting someone else's composition, for example, his earliest version
of the ​"Keiser" ​St Mark Passion​, where he enhances scene transitions,​[119]​ and in the architecture of his
own compositions such as ​his Magnificat​[106]​ and ​his Leipzig ​Passions​. In the last years of his life, Bach
would revise several of his prior compositions, often the recasting of such previously composed music in
an enhanced structure being the most visible change, as in the ​Mass in B minor​. Bach's known
preoccupation with structure led, peaking around the 1970s, to various numerological analyses of his
compositions, although many such over-interpretations were later rejected, especially when wandering off
in symbolism-ridden hermeneutics.​[120]​[121]
The ​librettos​, that is the lyrics, for his vocal compositions played an important role for Bach: he sought
collaboration with various text authors for his cantatas and major vocal compositions, eventually writing
or adapting such texts himself to make them fit in the structure of the composition he was designing,
when he could not lean on the talents of other text authors. His collaboration with ​Picander​ for the ​St
Matthew Passion​ libretto is best known, but there was a similar process to come to a multi-layered
structure for his ​St John Passion​ libretto a few years earlier.​[122]
See also: ​List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach​ and L
​ ist of fugal works by Johann Sebastian
Bach

Bach's autograph of the recitative with the gospel text of Christ's death from ​St Matthew
Passion​(​Matthew 27:45–47a​)
Christmas Oratorio​: printed edition of the libretto

Cantata ​Wachet auf, ruft uns die

Stimme,​ BWV 140​ performed by
the MIT Concert Choir conducted
by W. Cutter
1. Chorus "Wachet auf, ruft uns die
Stimme"

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2. Recitative "Er kommt, er

kommt, der Bräut'gam kommt"

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3. Duet "Wenn kömmst du, mein

Heil?"
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4. Chorale "Zion hört die Wächter

singen"

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5. Recitative "So geh herein zu

mir"

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6. Duet "Mein Freund ist mein!"

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7. Chorale "Gloria sei dir

gesungen"

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Cantata text

from ​Mass in B minor

Agnus Dei

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performed by Solomija Drozd

(voice), Petro Titiajev (violin) and
Ivan Ostapovych (organ)

Prelude and Fugue in A minor,

BWV 543​performed by Noah
Horn on the 1974 Dirk A. Flentrop
organ at the Oberlin Conservatory
of Music
Prelude

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Fugue

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Title page of ​The Well-Tempered Clavier​, book 1 – Prelude No. 1 in C major BWV 846 performed
on harpsichord by Robert Schröter
Italian Concerto​ BWV 971
performed by Martha Goldstein
1st movement

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2nd movement

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3rd movement

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Title page of the ​Goldberg Variations​ – performed by Mehmet Okonsar, piano: Aria and Variation
1–9​ • Variation 10–22​ • Variation 23–30 and Aria da capo
Title page of ​Anna Magdalena Bach​'s copy of the cello suites – ​Cello Suite No. 1 BWV 1007
performed by John Michel: 1. Prelude​ • 2. Allemande​ • 3. Courante​ • 4. Sarabande​ • 5.
Minuets​ • ​6. Gigue

Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G

Major, BWV 1049
1. Allegro

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2. Andante

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3. Presto

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Some of Bach's most popular

melodies are, more often than not,
heard in various arrangements:
Air on the G String​ (excerpt)

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"Air", 2nd movement from

Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major,
BWV 1068​, performed in a ​Air on
the G String​adaptation by ​Capella
Istropolitana​conducted by ​Oliver
von Dohnányi​(courtesy of ​Naxos​)

"Sheep May Safely Graze"

(instrumental version)

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The Aria "Schafe können sicher

weiden" (Sheep May Safely
Graze), No. 9 from the ​Hunting
Cantata,​ BWV 208: composed for
soprano, recorders and continuo
the music of this movement exists
in a variety of instrumental
arrangements.
In 1950, ​Wolfgang Schmieder​ published a ​thematic catalogue​ of Bach's compositions, called
Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis​ (Bach Works Catalogue).​[123]​ Schmieder largely followed the
Bach-Gesellschaft-Ausgabe,​ a comprehensive edition of the composer's works that was produced between
1850 and 1900. The first edition of the catalogue listed 1,080 surviving compositions without doubt
composed by Bach.​[124]

BWV Range Compositions

BWV 1–224 Cantatas

BWV Motets
225–231

BWV Liturgical compositions in

232–243 Latin

BWV Passions and Oratorios

244–249

BWV Four-part chorales

250–438

BWV Small vocal works

439–524

BWV Organ compositions

525–771

BWV Other keyboard works

772–994

BWV Lute compositions

995–1000

BWV Other chamber music

1001–1040

BWV Orchestral music

1041–1071

BWV Canons
1072–1078
BWV Late contrapuntal works
1079–1080

BWV 1081–1126​ were added to the catalogue in the second half of the 20th century, and ​BWV 1127 and
higher​ were still later additions.​[125]​[126]​[127]
​ ist of masses, passions and oratorios by Johann Sebastian Bach § Passions and oratorios
See also: L
Bach composed ​Passions​ for Good Friday services and oratorios such as the ​Christmas Oratorio​, which is
a set of six cantatas for use in the ​liturgical season​ of Christmas.​[128]​[129]​[130]​ Shorter oratorios are the E
​ aster
Oratorio​ and the ​Ascension Oratorio​.
See also: S​ t Matthew Passion
With its double choir and orchestra, the ​St Matthew Passion​ is one of Bach's most extended works.
See also: S​ t John Passion
The ​St John Passion​ was the first Passion Bach composed during his tenure as Thomaskantor in Leipzig.
​ ach cantata​ and L
See also: B ​ ist of Bach cantatas
According to his obituary, Bach would have composed ​five-year cycles of sacred cantatas​, and additional
church cantatas for instance for weddings and funerals.​[94]​ Approximately 200 of these sacred works are
extant, an estimated two thirds of the total number of church cantatas he composed.​[4]​[131]​ The ​Bach Digital
website lists 50 known secular cantatas by the composer,​[132]​ about half of which are extant or largely
reconstructable.​[133]
​ hurch cantata (Bach)
See also: C
Bach's cantatas vary greatly in form and instrumentation, including those for solo singers, single choruses,
small instrumental groups, and grand orchestras. Many consist of a large opening chorus followed by one
or more recitative-aria pairs for soloists (or duets) and a concluding chorale. The melody of the
concluding chorale often appears as a ​cantus firmus​ in the opening movement.
Bach's earliest cantatas​ date from his years in Arnstadt and Mühlhausen. The earliest one with a known
date is ​Christ lag in Todes Banden,​ BWV 4​, for Easter 1707, which is one of ​his chorale cantatas​.[134]
​
Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit​, BWV 106​, a.k.a. ​Actus Tragicus​, is a funeral cantata from the
Mühlhausen period.​[135]​ Around ​20 church cantatas are extant​ from his later years in Weimar, for instance,
Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis​, BWV 21​.[136]
​
After taking up his office as ​Thomaskantor​ late May 1723, Bach performed a cantata each Sunday and
feast day that corresponded to the ​lectionary​ readings of the week.​[17]​ ​His first cantata cycle​ ran from the
first Sunday after ​Trinity​ of 1723 to Trinity Sunday the next year. For instance, the Visitation cantata
Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben​, BWV 147​, containing the chorale that is known in English as "Jesu,
Joy of Man's Desiring", belongs to this first cycle. The cantata cycle of his second year in Leipzig is
called the ​chorale cantata cycle​ as it is mainly consisting of works in the c​ horale cantata​ format. ​His third
cantata cycle​ was developed over a period of several years, followed by the ​Picander cycle of 1728–29​.
Later church cantatas include the chorale cantatas ​Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott​, BWV 80​ (final
version)​[137]​ and ​Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme​, BWV 140​.[138]​
​ Only the first three Leipzig cycles are
more or less completely extant. Apart from his own work, Bach also performed cantatas by Telemann and
by his distant relative ​Johann Ludwig Bach​.[17]​
​ ist of secular cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach
See also: L
Bach also wrote secular cantatas, for instance for members of the Royal-Polish and Prince-electoral
Saxonian family (e.g. ​Trauer-Ode)​ ,​[139]​ or other public or private occasions (e.g. H ​ unting Cantata​).​[140]
The text of these cantatas was occasionally in dialect (e.g. ​Peasant Cantata)​ ​ [141]​
or in Italian (e.g. ​Amore
traditore​).​ [142]​
Many of the secular cantatas went lost, but for some of these the text and the occasion are
known, for instance when Picander later published their libretto (e.g. BWV ​Anh. 11​–​12​).​[143]​ Some of the
secular cantatas had a plot carried by mythological figures of Greek antiquity (e.g. ​Der Streit zwischen
Phoebus und Pan)​ ,​[144]​ others were almost miniature ​buffo​ operas (e.g. ​Coffee Cantata)​ .​[145]
Bach's a cappella music includes motets and chorale harmonisations.
Main article: ​Motets (Bach)
Bach's ​motets​ (BWV 225–231) are pieces on sacred themes for choir and continuo, with instruments
playing ​colla parte​. Several of them were composed for funerals.​[146]​ The six motets certainly composed
by Bach are ​Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied,​ ​Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf​, ​Jesu, meine Freude,​
Fürchte dich nicht,​ ​Komm, Jesu, komm,​ and ​Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden.​ The motet ​Sei Lob und Preis
mit Ehren​ (BWV 231) is part of the composite motet ​Jauchzet dem Herrn, alle Welt​ (BWV Anh. 160),
other parts of which may be based on work by Telemann.​[147]
​ ist of chorale harmonisations by Johann Sebastian Bach
See also: L
Bach wrote hundreds of four-part harmonisations of Lutheran chorales.
​ ach's church music in Latin
See also: B
Bach church music in Latin includes his ​Magnificat​, four ​Kyrie–Gloria Masses​, and his ​Mass in B minor​.
​ agnificat (Bach)
See also: M
The ​first version of Bach's Magnificat​ dates from 1723, but the work is best known in its ​D major version
of 1733.
​ ass in B minor
See also: M
In 1733 Bach composed a ​Kyrie–Gloria Mass for the Dresden court​. Near the end of his life, around
1748–1749 he expanded this composition into the large-scale ​Mass in B minor​. The work was never
performed in full during Bach's lifetime.​[148]​[149]
Bach wrote for the organ and other keyboard instruments of his day, mainly the ​harpsichord​, but also the
clavichord​ and his personal favourite: the ​lute-harpsichord​ (the compositions listed as works for the ​lute​,
BWV 995-1000 and 1006a were probably written for this instrument).
​ ist of organ compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach
See also: L
Bach was best known during his lifetime as an organist, organ consultant, and composer of organ works
in both the traditional German free genres—such as ​preludes​, ​fantasias​, and ​toccatas​—and stricter forms,
such as ​chorale preludes​ and fugues.​[17]​ At a young age, he established a reputation for his great creativity
and ability to integrate foreign styles into his organ works. A decidedly North German influence was
exerted by ​Georg Böhm​, with whom Bach came into contact in Lüneburg, and ​Dieterich Buxtehude​,
whom the young organist visited in Lübeck in 1704 on an extended leave of absence from his job in
Arnstadt. Around this time, Bach copied the works of numerous French and Italian composers to gain
insights into their compositional languages, and later arranged violin concertos by Vivaldi and others for
organ and harpsichord. During his most productive period (1708–1714) he composed about a dozen pairs
of preludes and fugues, five toccatas and fugues, and the ​Little Organ Book​, an unfinished collection of
forty-six short chorale preludes that demonstrates compositional techniques in the setting of chorale tunes.
After leaving Weimar, Bach wrote less for organ, although some of his best-known works (the six ​trio
sonatas​, the German Organ Mass in ​Clavier-Übung III​ from 1739, and the ​Great Eighteen​ chorales,
revised late in his life) were composed after his leaving Weimar. Bach was extensively engaged later in
his life in consulting on organ projects, testing newly built organs, and dedicating organs in afternoon
recitals.​[150]​[151]​ The ​Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her"​ and the ​Schübler
Chorales​ are organ works Bach published in the last years of his life.
​ ist of solo keyboard compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach
See also: L
Bach wrote many works for harpsichord, some of which may have been played on the clavichord. The
larger works are usually intended for a harpsichord with two manuals, while performing them on a
keyboard instrument with a single manual (like a piano) may provide technical difficulties for the crossing
of hands. Many of his keyboard works are anthologies that encompass whole theoretical systems in an
encyclopaedic fashion.
● The Well-Tempered Clavier​, Books 1 and 2 (BWV 846–893). Each book consists of a prelude
and fugue in each of the 24 major and minor ​keys​ in chromatic order from C major to B
minor (thus, the whole collection is often referred to as "the 48"). "Well-tempered" in the title
refers to the ​temperament​ (system of tuning); many temperaments before Bach's time were
not flexible enough to allow compositions to utilise more than just a few keys.​[152]​[153]
● The ​Inventions and Sinfonias​ (BWV 772–801). These short two- and three-part contrapuntal
works are arranged in the same chromatic order as ​The Well-Tempered Clavier​, omitting
some of the rarer keys. These pieces were intended by Bach for instructional purposes.​[154]
● Three collections of ​dance suites​: the ​English Suites​ (BWV 806–811), the ​French Suites
(BWV 812–817), and the ​Partitas for keyboard​(​Clavier-Übung I​, BWV 825–830). Each
collection contains six suites built on the standard model
(​Allemande–​ ​Courante​–​Sarabande​–(optional movement)–​Gigue)​ . The English Suites closely
follow the traditional model, adding a prelude before the ​allemande​ and including a single
movement between the ​sarabande​ and the ​gigue.​ [155]​
​ The French Suites omit preludes, but
have multiple movements between the ​sarabande​ and the ​gigue.​ [156]​
​ The partitas expand the
model further with elaborate introductory movements and miscellaneous movements between
the basic elements of the model.​[157]
● The ​Goldberg Variations​ (BWV 988), an aria with thirty ​variations​. The collection has a
complex and unconventional structure: the variations build on the ​bass line​ of the aria, rather
 than its melody, and musical ​canons​ are interpolated according to a grand plan. There are
nine canons within the thirty variations; every third variation is a canon.​[158]​ These variations
move in order from canon at the unison to canon at the ninth. The first eight are in pairs
(unison and octave, second and seventh, third and sixth, fourth and fifth). The ninth canon
stands on its own due to compositional dissimilarities. The final variation, instead of being
the expected canon at the tenth, is a ​quodlibet​.
● Miscellaneous pieces such as the ​Overture in the French Style​ (​French Overture​, BWV 831)
and the ​Italian Concerto​ (BWV 971) (published together as ​Clavier-Übung II​), and the
Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue​ (BWV 903).
Among Bach's lesser known keyboard works are seven ​toccatas​ (BWV 910–916), ​four duets​ (BWV
802–805), ​sonatas​ for keyboard (BWV 963–967), the ​Six Little Preludes​ (BWV 933–938), and the ​Aria
variata alla maniera italiana​ (BWV 989).
​ ist of chamber music works by Johann Sebastian Bach​ and L
See also: L ​ ist of orchestral works by Johann
Sebastian Bach
Bach wrote for single instruments, duets, and small ensembles. Many of his solo works, such as his six
sonatas and partitas for violin​ (BWV 1001–1006) and his six ​cello suites​ (BWV 1007–1012), are widely
considered among the most profound in the repertoire.​[159]​ He wrote sonatas for a solo instrument such as
the viola de gamba accompanied by harpsichord or continuo, as well as trio sonatas (two instruments and
continuo).
The Musical Offering​ and ​The Art of Fugue​ are late contrapuntal works containing pieces for unspecified
(combinations of) instruments.
Surviving works in the concerto form include two violin concertos (​BWV 1041​ in A minor and ​BWV
1042​ in E major) and a concerto for two violins in D minor, ​BWV 1043​, often referred to as Bach's
"double" concerto.
​ randenburg Concertos
Further information: B
Bach's best-known orchestral works are the ​Brandenburg Concertos​, so named because he submitted
them in the hope of gaining employment from ​Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt​ in
1721; his application was unsuccessful.​[17]​ These works are examples of the ​concerto grosso​ genre.
​ eyboard concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach
Further information: K
Bach composed and transcribed concertos for one to four harpsichords. Many of the harpsichord
concertos were not original works, but arrangements of his concertos for other instruments now lost.​[160]​ A
number of violin, oboe, and flute concertos have been reconstructed from these.
Main article: ​Orchestral suites (Bach)
In addition to concertos, Bach wrote four ​orchestral suites​, each suite being a series of stylised dances for
orchestra, preceded by a ​French overture​.[161]
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​ WV Anh.
See also: B
In his early youth, Bach copied pieces by other composers to learn from them.​[162]​ Later, he copied and
arranged music for performance and/or as study material for his pupils. Some of these pieces, like "​Bist
du bei mir​" (not even copied by Bach but by Anna Magdalena), became famous before being dissociated
with Bach. Bach copied and arranged Italian masters such as Vivaldi (e.g. ​BWV 1065​), ​Pergolesi​ (​BWV
1083​) and ​Palestrina​ (​Missa Sine nomine​), French masters such as ​François Couperin​ (​BWV Anh. 183​),
and closer to home various German masters, including Telemann (e.g. ​BWV 824​=T ​ WV 32:14​) and
Handel (​arias from ​Brockes Passion)​ , and music from members of his own family. Then he also often
copied and arranged his own music (e.g. movements from cantatas for his short masses ​BWV 233–236​),
as likewise his music was copied and arranged by others. Some of these arrangements, like the late
19th-century "​Air on the G String​", helped in popularising Bach's music.
Sometimes who copied whom is not clear. For instance, Forkel mentions a Mass for double chorus among
the works composed by Bach. The work was published and performed in the early 19th century, and
although a score partially in Bach's handwriting exists, the work was later considered spurious.​[163]​ In
1950, the setup of the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis was to keep such works out of the main catalogue: if
there was a strong association with Bach they could be listed in its appendix (in German: Anhang,
abbreviated as Anh.), so, for instance, the aforementioned Mass for double chorus became ​BWV Anh.
167​. This was however far from the end of attribution issues—for instance, ​Schlage doch, gewünschte
Stunde​, BWV 53​ was later re-attributed to ​Melchior Hoffmann​. For other works, Bach's authorship was
put in doubt without a generally accepted answer to the question whether or not he composed it: the best
known organ composition in the BWV catalogue, the ​Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565​, was
indicated as one of these uncertain works in the late 20th century.​[164]